Residential Gateway Rights Management for Secure Content Distribution
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital rights management systems, such as DTCP-IP, lack adequate mechanisms to control content distribution within a local network, limiting service providers' ability to enforce copy control policies, manage device access, and expire content when subscription ends, leading to inconsistent user experiences and revenue challenges.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a content server, rights management server, and residential gateway that communicates over a network to establish secure links and enforce real-time copy control policies by uniquely identifying playback devices, managing access permissions, and ensuring content expiration, using DTCP-IP links and certificates to distribute protected content securely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If DTCP-IP link protection is used for content distribution in local network, then content security against unauthorized copying is improved, but service provider control over device access and copy policies deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a rights management server as an intermediary between the content source and playback devices. This server mediates content distribution by verifying device credentials, enforcing copy policies, and managing device registration. The server receives content from the content server and controls its distribution to authorized playback devices, thereby maintaining both security and service provider control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the content distribution function into separate components: a rights management server that handles authentication and policy enforcement, and playback devices that handle content consumption. This segmentation allows the rights management server to maintain centralized control while enabling secure distribution to multiple devices.
2Ease of operation
If content is redistributed to multiple playback devices via residential gateway, then user convenience is improved, but ability to enforce copy control policies and manage device access deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The rights management server acts as an intermediary that automatically manages device access and copy control policies. It receives requests from playback devices, verifies credentials, and enforces policies without requiring user intervention for each operation. This maintains user convenience while providing comprehensive control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where playback devices provide information about their capabilities and current content state to the rights management server. The server uses this feedback to make automated decisions about content distribution and copy control, simplifying the management process.
3Reliability
If DTCP-IP is used for local content streaming, then content protection during transmission is improved, but ability to expire content and manage subscription-based access deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The rights management server serves as an intermediary that maintains subscription information and content expiration data. Before allowing content distribution, it verifies that the user's subscription is active and the content has not expired. This enables subscription-based access control while maintaining secure transmission through DTCP-IP.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary verification of subscription status and content expiration before content distribution. The rights management server checks these conditions in advance and only authorizes playback if conditions are met, enabling proactive subscription management.
4Adaptability or versatility
If residential gateway shares content with multiple devices, then content accessibility is improved, but control over content distribution and revenue management deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The rights management server acts as a central intermediary that maintains an authoritative record of which devices are authorized to access which content. It receives distribution requests, verifies authorization, and enforces policies, thereby maintaining control over content distribution while enabling broad accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The rights management server provides universal control over content distribution to multiple diverse playback devices. It handles various device types and content formats through a unified authorization mechanism, enabling broad accessibility while maintaining centralized control.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for secure content distribution to playback devices connected to a local network via a residential gateway using secure links are disclosed. One embodiment of the invention includes a content server, a rights management server, a residential gateway configured to communicate with the content server and the rights management server via a network, and a playback device configured to communicate with the residential gateway via a local network. In addition, the residential gateway is configured to receive protected content from the content server, the playback device is configured to request access to the protected content from the residential gateway, the residential gateway is configured to request access to the protected content from the rights management server and the request includes information uniquely identifying the playback device, the rights management server is configured to provide access information to the residential gateway when the information uniquely identifying the playback device satisfies at least one predetermined criterion with respect to playback devices associated with the residential gateway, the residential gateway and the playback device are configured to create a secure link between the residential gateway and the playback device via the local network, and the residential gateway is configured to decrypt the protected content using the access information provided by the rights management server and to encrypt the decrypted content for distribution to the playback device via the secure link.